


Movie Night

by shybi



Category: Stardew Valley (Video Game)
Genre: F/F, Fluff, I love Penny and this is self indulgent twaddle, One Shot, also, there's not too many f/f fics for her
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-17
Updated: 2018-03-17
Packaged: 2019-04-01 09:32:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,789
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13995420
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shybi/pseuds/shybi
Summary: Penny asks her favourite farmer to watch a movie with her. Awkward flirting and nervousness ensues.





	Movie Night

**Author's Note:**

> I haven't written fic in a while, so this might not be wonderful. Hope you enjoy, though!

“Um… So how about we watch a movie or something?”

  
Your heart drops to your stomach as you try to keep a goofy grin from spreading across your face. You’d only dropped in to say hello, but got a lot more out of that decision than you initially bargained for. The bright, delighted smile that spread across her face at the words ‘that was delicious’ was more than enough to make up for the awful taste that recipe had left in your mouth, but this? An excuse to sit next to Penny for ninety uninterrupted minutes? The fortune teller was right; luck was on your side today.

You nod a little too eagerly, but it only makes her smile more as she guides you toward the old green couch. It’s way too far from the dinky little television propped up against the opposite wall, but you could hardly care less. “Er—What movie did you have in mind?” You ask after a brief silence, keeping your legs pressed together and your clasped hands in your lap. She keeps herself in a similar position: Bashful, awkward. The winter wind is only a faint whistle from within the trailer.

“I-I—Um—” She stammers, blushing and twiddling her thumbs. “I-I don’t… I don’t actually know. Though, I suppose it might be a bit rude of me not to get your opinion before choosing,” She replies quietly, gesturing to a small rack of DVDs and VHS tapes near the front of the room.  
You blink, glancing from her to the television. “Oh!” You blurt out after a moment, nodding as you quickly stand up from the couch. You can hardly get another word out before a shot of pain seizes up your back; a by-product of having to pull dead crops and weeds from the frost-covered ground all morning… and several mornings before that. Your subsequent yelp of pain does not go unnoticed by the redhead.

“Oh dear!” She exclaims, rising to your side almost instantly and looking you over with a concerned expression. “I’m so sorry! I didn’t think you would hurt yourself!”  
You shake your head, letting out a pained chuckle to try and reassure her. “N-Nah, don’t worry. Just some back trouble from work.”  
Penny nods slowly with a pondering expression before speaking again, “Well… It was silly of me to ask you to get up anyway. After all, you are the guest.” She gives another warm smile, one that makes your little farmer’s heart melt.

“I-I… er… yeah…” You reply dumbly, distracted by the curve of her lips. You barely heard her, what did she say?  
“I’m glad we agree,” Her smile widens again as she gently guides you to sit back on the couch. “I’ll ah—I’ll call out some movie choices. You just sit there and relax! Be careful not to exert yourself!” She chides as she makes her way across the tiled floor. You can hardly find the words or the energy to protest, so you obediently do as she tells you; sinking into the scratchy cushions of the couch as she kneels in front of the rack.

“Ah… Monsters Inc… The Time Traveller’s Wife… The Heat—”

“You own The Heat?” You interrupt with a surprised laugh. You didn’t peg her for a buddy-cop aficionado.

“S-Some of these are my mother’s!” She explains with haste, “I-I just… supposed I should mention it in case you liked that genre.”

“Let’s go with something we’ll both enjoy, huh?” You smile at her relieved expression as she turns around to continue reading off titles.

“… When Harry Met Sally, Imagine Me and You… Charlotte’s Web…”

“That one!” You snap your fingers in recognition, “Charlotte’s Web! Is it animated or live-action?”

“Of course the farmer would choose ‘Charlotte’s Web’…” She giggles softly and pulls the VHS tape from the shelf, removing the cover and gingerly setting it aside. “It’s the animated version, is that alright?”

You nod enthusiastically before curling up in your spot on the couch as she slips the tape into the player, turning the small television on and heading back toward the couch with the remote in her hand. “I won’t be keeping you from anything important, will I?” She asks with a hint of concern to her tone, as if anything could feel more important to you than this. When she sits down, a foot of distance feels like a mile.

“Nah, nah… I’ve got all night, Penny, don’t worry,” You reassure her as the film’s opening credits begin to roll. The air feels awkward, laden with things you’ve both left unsaid about this seemingly innocent movie night. Is she feeling the same way you are right now? Does she also want to shift closer to you, or does she only want to watch a movie? You’ve never been good with reading these kinds of situations. You haven’t had a girlfriend since the secret one in college, and certainly not any before that. The political climate was too hot to come out at any point during your teenage years, and working within Joja for most of your twenties never really left you any time for a serious relationship. You wouldn’t even know how to function within one, much less initiate it with the pretty tutor down the road. But that didn’t stop you from daydreaming.

Your train of thought is broken by Penny’s soft voice as she hums along to one of Charlotte’s upbeat songs. She’s off-tune several times, but it’s a million times more pleasing to your ears than Debbie Reynolds could ever be. “You’ve seen this a lot, huh?” You muse, admiring her briefly as another blush spreads across her cheeks.

“I-I… used to watch it often when I was young,” She explains bashfully, making sure to avoid eye contact. “The music i-is ah… very catchy.”

“I agree,” You mumble in return, turning your gaze back to the television. You want to focus on the movie, you really do, but it’s nearly impossible when she’s sitting there next to you. There’s a reason you visit that old oak tree so often, or chose to grow poppies in your garden, or offered to help walk the children home. The reason is sitting about a foot from you, curled up on the nasty old couch and mouthing along to the cheery spider’s music. You remember when you first saw her reading underneath the oak tree in the spring. The little rays of sun that were able to shine through the tree’s foliage were illuminating her, dancing off her silky red curls. You nearly dropped your meek little bag of first-harvested produce in shock at the sight. Your feet did the thinking for you, and you soon found yourself standing silently in front of her. “Hi…” She’d greeted you with a tight smile, waiting for you to respond in kind. Little did she know that, in that moment, you had entirely forgotten the combination of words one was supposed to introduce themselves with. She’d broken the awkward silence by trying to help you find your words. “Oh, did you need something?” The look on her face was growing more uncomfortable by the second.

But you? Clad in your dirty overalls and carrying an old sack of parsnips under your arm? You’d promptly bolted in the opposite direction after going lobster red, regretting every second of that first encounter. In fact, it still sends waves of second-hand embarrassment through you over a year later. Even so, it hadn’t taken you long to re-try that first introduction, and you’d gone out of your way to speak with her almost every day since, even if it was only about the weather.

Penny shivers next to you, and you are once again pulled out of your daydream.

“Are you cold?” You ask reflexively, turning your attention back to her as she gives you an apologetic look.

“A-A little… our heater tends to kick out sometimes. You don’t need to worry about it.”

“The heater’s off?” You glance toward the old radiator in the kitchen. You didn’t really feel a change in temperature. Were you that distracted? “I didn’t even notice.”

“Well… as I said, you don’t need to worry about it.” She smiles reassuringly before leaning back against the couch again.  
You realize that she’s several inches closer to you than she was ten minutes ago. Your shoulders are practically touching. Did she move, or did you? You begin to panic. Should you slowly move away from her? Should you move closer? She mentioned that she was cold after all. Before you know it, your arm is raising upward. You don’t know how to stop it, or whether you want to stop it, as it slowly slips around her shoulders.

You hear the impossibly loud pounding of your heart in your ears. Your face is heating up, and from the brief glance toward her, you can see that she’s doing the same. Shit, oh shit. This was a mistake. The positioning is so awkward. Your arm is stiff as a rake and probably just as comfortable. You hastily try to explain yourself, “J-Just—Just because you s-said you were cold, I just thought—”  
You’re interrupted as she meets your eyes with another shy look, averting them again as she leans in to rest her head against your shoulder. Is it possible to suffer a heart attack under circumstances like this? You’re only thankful that she’s not sitting to the left of you, or she might be able to feel the incessant thumping in your chest growing heavier and faster by the second. This is really happening, isn’t it? Is she the same as you? Has she ever had a girlfriend? Surely not, she’s lived here all her life. Surely, you would have heard something if she had dated another girl from town.  
You cautiously lean your head down to rest against hers. She’s shifted close enough that the two of you are pressed together side-by-side and the positioning almost makes you feel interlocked with her.

“Is… is this okay?” She murmurs anxiously, drawing a soft laugh from you, “What?”

“Yeah, Penny, it’s definitely okay,” You murmur in return, daring to lightly rub her shoulder. She responds to the gesture by tentatively reaching up and squeezing your calloused hand with her soft one before placing it in her lap again. Even that sends a shock of excitement through you. Impulsively, you move your free hand as fast as you can manage, not bothering to think about potential consequences as you clasp your hand in hers.

You can feel the heat of her blush on your shoulder, but it isn’t as though you’re handling this any better. “I-Is this okay?” You whisper, unintentionally echoing her question from not a moment before.

“Yes… i-it’s definitely okay,” She replies gently, her cheek nuzzling your shoulder. You feel as though you might explode any second if this keeps up. Similar to your first day meeting her, you find that, in your daze, you can only manage to stare at her. The movie has become faint white noise that faded into the background long ago. You should be paying attention to it, you really should, but your fingers are interlaced, and her skin is like silk. What does your hand feel like to her? Is it too rough? Are you doing this right? You know you’re asking too many internal questions, but your mouth has gone far too dry for you to say anything out loud.

The two of you sit in silence for the remaining hour or so of the movie. You can feel the awkward air of unsaid explanations that usually permeates situations like these, but it’s not quite as heavy this time. Perhaps you don’t always need to explain something like this. The comfort of her hand clasped in yours acts like an anchor, keeping you firmly rooted to her. You promise then and there to yourself that someday, you’re going to marry this girl.

The thought doesn’t shock you as much as it might have. Settling down was never something you’d considered seriously, and perhaps before you’d come to the Valley the thought of wanting to marry a girl you’d known a little over a year might have even repulsed you. You’d never expected that domesticity could be bliss instead of toiling work, you’d never expected that the anchor wouldn’t feel like a chain.

When the movie ends, neither of you seem to notice until the credits have finished rolling and the screen turns black. Even then, neither of you seem particularly motivated to move.

After a long silence, she speaks in a gentle tone, as if trying not to disturb the atmosphere. “Did… did you enjoy the movie?”

You can’t hold back your smile, and this time, you don’t even want to. “Yeah, it was fantastic.”

You can feel her cheek raise against your shoulder in a returned smile, perhaps even a grin. She doesn’t say anything else, and neither of you make a move to break away from the cuddle. If you could freeze this moment forever, you wouldn’t hesitate for a second.

“Um, Penny?” You begin, glancing down as she adjusts her head to meet your eyes.

“Yes, ?”

“I really—”

You’re interrupted by the sound of a doorknob turning, and a gust of freezing air as the front door swings open to reveal Pam, bundled in several coats and scarves and nearly covered in snowflakes. You and Penny frantically jump apart, returning to your earlier position of huddling on nearly opposite sides of the couch.

“Whoo!” Pam exclaims, not seeming to notice you quite yet as she shuffles over to the radiator. “Never knew a storm could kick up that quickly! You’re lucky you stayed here, sw—" She stops, finally noticing the two of you as she turns her head around, and undeniably noticing your stiff postures and embarrassed expressions as she looks between the two of you. “… Ah, hey there, , I didn’t know you’d be joining us this late.”

You gulp, quickly stumbling up to your feet and wincing as another shot of pain goes through your back. “I-I was ah—I was just leaving, ma’am.”

She gives a curt laugh at this, “Don’t call me ma’am, it makes me feel old.” She tugs the mittens off her hands before raising her bare palms in front of the radiator and sighing in relief. “Careful out there, it’s terrible this time of year. If it weren’t for our heater I would have froze to death long ago.”

You blink in confusion, looking to Penny briefly before crossing over to the front door to retrieve your coat from the hanger on the wall. “Uh—You must have come close a couple times, right?” You ask to Pam, “What with the thing cutting out and all that.”

Then it’s Pam’s turn for confusion, she turns around to give you an odd look. “What? You think I would keep a heater that shuts off in the winter? Where’d you get that idea?” She rolls her eyes before turning back to face the heat, “Kids these days… gettin’ soft in the head, I swear.”

Penny appears mortified, refusing to meet your gaze as you look to her for an explanation. She was the one who told you about the heater. Why would she have been cold if it was still on? Why would—

Realization dawns on you as an idiotic grin breaks out onto your face, one you don’t bother hiding even with Pam in the room with you. “Y-Yeah, sorry Pam, my mistake,” You apologize, trying to hold in a laugh as you stare directly at her daughter, “For some reason I thought it wasn’t working.”

Penny covers her face as it explodes with a red hue, letting out a squeak of embarrassment. You feel a burst of affection flow through your chest as you turn and twist the doorknob in your hand.

“Safe travels,” Pam calls to you as the frosty wind whistles through the opening door.

“Y-Yes… Safe travels.” Penny parrots her from the couch, albeit in a quieter tone.

“Thanks, you two.” You smile, stepping outside into the snowstorm and shutting the door behind you as you begin your trek home.

_She’s perfect!_ You want to shout to the heavens, want to wake up the entire town with your own ecstatic joy. _Today was perfect!_

There’s a bounce in your step as you make your way home, holding back elated laughter as you reply the events of tonight again and again in your head and reveling in the glee it brings to you on such a dreary night. On such a bleak winter's night, who knew you could feel so warm?


End file.
